Hame-fastener.



A. W. FOWLER.

HAME PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.31, 1914.

Patented June 30, 1914.

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ALVAH W. FOWLER, or THRIFTY, TEXAS.

I-IAME-FASTENER. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 21, 1514. Serial No. 815,722.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALvAI-I V. FowLnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Thrift-y, in the county of Brown and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heme-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in hame fasteners, with the primary object in view of providing a simple locking device, capable of being cheaply manufactured, for quickly and adjustably connecting together collar hames.

In carrying out the invention I have provided a pair of telescoping members, one of which carries a spring actuated locking .member adapted to engage the other of said telescoping members to hold them in adjusted position, with an operating member constituting a lever connected to the locking member and cooperating with the second mentioned telescoping member whereby to disengage the former to permit member engaged with itscooperating telescoping member.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, this invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Figure 1 is a. view in elevation of the device constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view therethrough; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of the invention; and Fig. 4: is a vertical sectional view on the line 41 of Fig. 1;

Throughout the following detail description, and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

As illustrative of the invention, referring to the drawings, the numerals 1 and 2 represent a pair of cooperating hame engaging members, the former consisting of a slightly curved bar having formed on its under surface spaced teeth 3, and the latter comprising a shell to receive the first mentioned member. Each of the hame engaging memhers is bent to form the hame engaging hooks 4, '5, adapted to receive the lower extremities of the conventional collar hame, the position of which around the collar may be adjusted to the proper size by my invention, and the terminals of these members ex tend a suitable distance downwardly to provide manipulating members or handles at, 5. The member 2 is stamped or formed from a flat piece or sheet of metal, the longitudinal edges of the. body portion of which are bent at angles so as to constitute spaced flanges 6, 7, whereby to provide a shell into which the toothed hame engaging member 1 is introduced in adjusting the hames together.

Between the flanges 6, 7, and adjacent to the end portion of the same, is pivotally mounted a locking member or dog 8, carried by the pivot 9 and this member is engageable with the teeth 3 of the hame engaging member 1 when the latter is inserted into the shell aforesaid, being'held normally in such interlockingengagement by the leaf spring 10 connected at one end to the dog by any desired means, such as the rivet 11. As will be noted particularly by reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the spring 10 extends longitudinally of the shell between the flanges 6 and 7, substantially closing the opening therebetween, and across the hame hook 5 for which it acts as a closure member, pass .ing beneath the retaining ring 12 formed by bending the metal adjacent to the ends of the shell together.

To disengage the dog 8 from the teeth 3, I provide a loop or ring'13 which passes into the free end of the dog, said ring constituting an operating'lever to perform this function. It isespecially designed that the ring '13 shall conform in width to the width of the shell, the flanges 6 and 7 of which are notched at 14 so that in the action of disengaging the dog by movement of the ring laterally int-o the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1, said ring rides on or presses against the edges of the notches, withdrawing the dog from locking position. #Not only does this ring act as an operating memher for the dog as just described, but such movement laterally of the member as hereinbefore described also is capable of moving the spring 10 longitudinally so as to withdraw the extremity of the same from across the hook 5 whereby to permit the insertion of the hame member into said hook. The

PatentedJune 30, 1914.

other hook Al is also provided with a closure member in the form of a short spring 15 secured by the fastening member 16 to the shank of the member 1 and this spring extends through the retaining ring 17 similar in function and formation to the ring 12.

in the actual use of my device, as hereinbefore described, each of the hame engaging members 1 and 2 is connected with the respective hame members, and the telescoping of said members 1 and 2, by the insertion of the former into the shell portion of the latter, is a matter of merely sliding the toothed portions over the dog 8, the teeth 3 being formed or inclined so as to enable this to be done without o1: erating the dog.

The peculiar cooperation of the springs 10 and 15, with the respective members to which they are connected, is advantageous in that 20 the telescoping members are effectively prevented from rattling and the construction of the device is simple, enabling it to be cheaply manufactured for use with harness hames.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is 1. In a hame fastener, the combination with a pair of cooperating hame engaging members, of a locking member for adjustably holding said members in adjusted position, means normally holding said locking member in locking engagement, and means operable on one of the hame engaging members to disengage the locking member.

2. in a hame fastener, the combination with a pair of cooperating hame engaging members, of a locking member for adjustably holding said members in adjusted position, and an operating lever connectcdto 40 the locking member and movable into contact with one of the hame engaging members whereby upon pressure therea-gainst to disengage the locking member aforesaid.

3. A hame fastener including 'hame engaging members, one of which is provided with teeth, a locking pawl connected to the other of said hame engaging members,

spring means cooperating with the pawl and one of the hame engaging members to hold the same in looking engagement with the teeth aforesaid, and an operating member constituting a lever connected with the pawl and movable to disengage the pawl from the teeth, said spring means coacting with the hame engaging member to form retaining means for a hame connected to the latter.

4;. A hame fastener including a hame engaging member provided with teeth, a cooperating hame engaging member adapted to receive the first mentioned member, a locking pawl pivoted to the second hame en gaging member, and a spring connected to the pawl to place the same under tension whereby to hold said pawl in engagement with the teeth when said hame engaging members are connected together, each of said hame engaging members having a hame hook for attachment to a hame and said spring co-acting with the hook of its cooperating hame engaging member to form retaining means for the hame inserted therein.

5. A hame fastener including telescoping hame engaging members, each having a hame engaging hook for attachment to a hame, means for adjustably connecting said hame engaging members together, and independ ent retaining members cooperating with the hook aforesaid for locking the hames therein one of said retaining members comprising a spring connected to the connecting means aforesaid for normally holding said means in looking position.

(3. A hame fastener comprising a toothed bar, a shell, each having a hame engaging hook, springs closing said hooks, flanges on the shell for retaining the springs in position on said members, and a locking pawl, one of the springs being connected to the pawl to place the same under tension.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALVAH W. FOlVLER.

lVitnesses:

G110. KIDD, F. R. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

